Progesterone- and dexamethasone-dependent osteoprogenitors in bone cell populations derived from rat vertebrae are different and distinct

Previous experiments have demonstrated that bone cell populations derived from explants of lumbar vertebral bone of adult female rats contain osteoprogenitors that require dexamethasone (Dex) or progesterone (Prog) to proliferate and differentiate into fully differentiated bone-forming osteoblasts. We now show that the Prog-dependent population cannot be detected in male rats after sexual maturation, but is present in prepubertal rats of both sexes and can be induced in adult male-derived populations by culturing the explants in medium containing 17 beta-estradiol (10(-9)-10(-8) M). This suggested that the Prog- and Dex-dependent osteoprogenitors in adult female-derived populations were probably distinct populations and that the survival of the Frog-dependent osteoprogenitors and/or their ability to proliferate are dependent on the presence of estrogen. We then proceeded to prove this by using replica plating. When one of the paired colonies duplicated was cultured in medium containing Dex (10(-8) hr) and the other in medium containing Frog (10(-5) hr), 5.0% of duplicates formed bone in Frog only, 11.1% formed bone in Dex only, and 3.4% formed bone in both Frog and Dex. In all cases the size of the bone-forming colonies in Dex-treated cultures was larger than that in Frog-treated cultures, indicating that the effects of Dex on osteoprogenitor proliferation are greater than those of Frog. The results demonstrate the existence of three classes of osteoprogenitors in adult female rat-derived bone cell populations: a class responding to Dex only, a class responding to Frog only, and a class responding to both Dex and Frog. The results also indicate that the effects of Frog are not mediated by Frog binding to the glucocorticoid receptor and imply that Frog plays an important role in maintaining bone mass through regulating the class of osteoprogenitors responsive to Frog.